Supreme Court Sides with Muslim Woman who was denied a job

Note by Mohammad Akhtar, President of MCA.
It gives us great satisfaction to publish in the following the report of victory of a Muslim woman who went to the Supreme Court to defend her right based on her religion and got the verdict reversed in her favor. More important than anything, it makes Muslims at large feel proud of being American. it is the country we salute and love which stands for a principle and defends an insignificant woman against the powerful and gigantic corporation- Abercrombie & Fitch and restores her right to wear Hijab if that is what her religion is.

WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court on Monday said a Muslim woman who applied to work at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ( ANF ) can raise discrimination claims without proving the company intentionally avoided hiring her because she wore a head scarf for religious reasons.
The 8-1 decision heightened the duty employers have to accommodate workers’ religious practices, ruling that federal law requires “favored treatment” of faith-based observances, not simply equal status with other activities.
Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority, while Justice Samuel Alito agreed with the result but filed a separate opinion. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented.
Samantha Elauf had complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after learning she was rejected for a sales job at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa’s Woodland Hills Mall because she wore a head scarf. Abercrombie said it rejected her not because she was Muslim–the subject of religion didn’t come up during her interview–but because head scarves violated company dress code, which prohibited caps.
“Observance of my faith should not have prevented me from getting a job. I am glad that I stood up for my rights, and happy that the EEOC was there for me and took my complaint to the courts,” Ms. Elauf said in a written statement released by the commission.
“This decision is a victory for our increasingly diverse society and we applaud Samantha Elauf’s courage and tenacity in pursuing this matter,” said the commission’s general counsel, David Lopez.
Abercrombie in a written statement said it was considering its options for when the case returns for further proceedings in the lower courts, but stressed that it had changed its policies since rejecting Ms. Elauf in 2008.